1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to a paintball gun support system for loading paintball pellets and gas cylinder.
The instant invention provides a support system for a paintball gun with attachment means for a strap. The support system supports the gun at the butt of the gun while the strap rests upon a users shoulder or back of the neck. The paintball gun while in the support system provides the user with a handsfree approach to loading and unloading of paintball pellets and/or gas cylinders.
2. Description of Related Art
Since its inception, the game of paintball has become increasingly popular. The game is played outside, usually in a field or a semi-wooded area. The game is typically played with two teams made up of approximately 5-20 players per team. Each player carriers a compressed air-powered gun that shoots paintballs a considerable distance. During the game the players must be mobile, spending most of the time either running or hiding from opposing team members. When the game starts the individual player's participation in the game does not end until the game is over or that player is hit with a paintball. Players discharge or fire their paintball gun upon seeing the opposing team members, in order to attempt to remove the opposing player from the playing field. It is not unlikely for a player's participation in a game to last a couple of minutes but may last as long as an hour.
A typical sophisticated paintball gun uses gas cylinders to fire the paintball pellets. The high firing rate of these sophisticated paintball guns has necessitated paintball pellet loaders. These loaders may typically store 100-200 paintball pellets, which feed directly into the paintball gun. It is not uncommon to fire 400-1000 paintball pellets during a single game. Therefore, a player may have to reload the paintball gun or loader anywhere from 2 to 6 times. Also, it is not uncommon to have to reload the gas cylinder during the game and while on the move.
Furthermore, upon discharging the paintball pellets, the barrel of the paintball gun may become clogged with pieces of pellets or paint from the pellets. Therefore before loading another paintball pellet loader it is common to clean the barrel before refiring the gun. Typically the barrel is cleaned with a barrel cleaner. However, the barrel cleaner may be cumbersome to carrying during the game because it cannot be bent. If the rod becomes bent than it may not adequately clean the inside of the barrel or may scratch or damage the inside of the barrel. It is therefore desirous to keep the barrel cleaner handy during a paintball game but placed in such a way as to prevent the barrel cleaner from becoming damaged. Therefor it may be desirous to attach the barrel cleaner to the support system.
Since a player cannot leave the game in order to reload their paintball gun the player must reload their gun during the game. A player may be in any number of positions when their gun needs reloading, for instance, a player may be running from opposing team members or hiding in a tree. Even if a player is leaning against a tree or knelling on the ground, a player usually does not want to lay their gun on the ground to reload the gun if the ground is wet or muddy. Therefore, there has long been a desire to have a support or holder for a paintball gun which allows the user to have their hands free to reload the paintball gun's pellets or gas cylinders without dropping or placing the gun on the ground. Furthermore, since a player may be running, climbing or crawling when their gun needs to be reloaded it is also desirous to have a support which allows the user to be mobile or agile while reloading the gun. Still further, it is a well known facet of the game to be able to fire the gun immediately after reloading. Therefore, it is also desirous to place the gun in a support which allows the gun to be fired, without having to remove the gun from the support.
Gun supports, holsters, and carriers in other related fields have long been employed to provide a gun with support, when the gun is not being fired or held. Such supports are generally cumbersome because they must be attached to the user's belts or vests or require the user to wear such belts or vests in order to use the supports. These supports or holders merely provide a support or a rest position for the gun and do not allow the gun to be reloaded and/or fired, especially on the move.
Other supports are specifically designed to hold or position the gun while firing, not providing the user with mobility or agility when operating the gun. These types of supports, slings or holders are specifically designed to reduce mobility in order to assist the user to line up a shot and support the gun while firing.
There does not exist in the art a support which provides mobility and stability to allow the user to have their hands free to conduct various tasks. For instance to load and unload paintball pellets or gas cylinders or to clean the barrel of the gun with a rod cleaner. However, it is further desired to be able to fire the gun while in the support in order to maximize the mobility and agility of the support.
Prior attempts at providing a gun support have failed to appreciate these important aspect which the present invention fully encompasses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,135 to Daniel represents a "Shotgun Holster." Daniel discloses a device that is worn around the waist of the user to support a shotgun only during non-use. (Col. 1, lines 33-40). Daniel does not disclose, teach or suggest the use of any type of holster while the Shotgun is in use, thereby distinguishing itself from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,526,768 to Pendergrass represents a "Safety Gun Rest." However, Pendergrass shows a gun rest which is awkwardly attached to a shoulder strap or jacket. Furthermore, Pendergrass discloses that while a gun is placed in the "Safety Gun Rest" the gun may not be used, minimizing the chance of the gun accidentally firing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,122 to Garmong represents another type of "Gun Rest." Garmong discloses an open gun rest which the user places the gun in the rest only for a limited time. In order to fire the gun using the device of Garmong, the gun must be retrieved from the rest. Furthermore, the gun must be balanced by the user in the rest in order to stabilize the gun; otherwise, the gun may fall out of the rest on to the ground.
It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a means to support the paintball gun with a handsfree approach. In other words, the paintball gun is supported such that the user does not have to hold the paintball gun. This provides the user with the ability to use their hands for various tasks, such as loading and unloading the gun with paintball pellets or gas cylinders or cleaning the barrel of the gun with a rod cleaner.
It is a further object of the instant invention to have the paintball gun in a support at all times which allows a user to fire the gun while in the support, without having to remove the paintball gun from the cumbersome rest or support.
It is still another object of the instant invention to provide a support that securely fastens the paintball gun to the support, preventing the paintball gun from falling out of the support and onto the ground.